Welfare card holders queue to withdraw the 500-baht New Year cash handout from the government at the Bua Yai branch of Krungthai Bank in Bua Yai district, Nakhon Ratchasima province, on Monday. (Photo by Prasit Tangprasert)

Registered poor people flocked to ATMs of state-owned Krungthai Bank nationwide to withdraw the 500-baht New Year giveaway from the government that cost taxpayers 7.25 billion baht.

In Nakhon Ratchasima, very long queues formed at ATMs of KTB's Bua Yai branch in Bua Yai district early Monday morning as welfare card holders checked the balance of their accounts and withdraw the handout, which the government began depositing on Saturday.

Nearby vendors and taxi motorcyclists were the immediate beneficiaries, with some admitting they had earned more than 1,000 baht a day over the weekend. Recipients expressed their happiness with the bonus payment, saying that although only 500 baht it was a meaningful amount for rural people.

In Narathiwat province, beneficiaries hurried to local ATMs from late on Sunday night after a rumour spread that the gift would be recalled if they were slow to withdraw it.

A happy Kamareeya Uma of Sungai Padi district confirmed hers was paid and said such assistance from the government should continue.

Growing queues were reported at ATMs in Mae Sot district of Tak province, where some people carried a stack of welfare cards to the withdraw money for friends or relatives who could not personally make the trip.

he Comptroller-General's Department on Monday assured social welfare recipients that the government will not cancel its 500-baht New Year's giveaway, after scores of welfare cardholders in several regions rushed to the state-owned Krungthai Bank's (KTB) ATMs to claim the one-off stipend.

The department assured that unlike the monthly assistance for welfare cardholders -- where the leftover balance is recalled at the end of each month -- the cash giveaway would not be recalled, and it could be used to buy discounted goods at Thong Fah Pracharat shops and other designated stores.

The clarification came after chaotic cash withdrawals were reported in several areas, as recipients of the one-off stipend rushed to withdraw the money out of fear that the cash would be recalled unless claimed within three days.

The Finance Ministry deposited the money on Dec 8-10, as part of the government's 86.9-billion-baht splurge on low-income earners, the elderly and retirees that was approved last month. The giveaway has been estimated to have cost the state about 7.25 billion baht.

Over the weekend, social welfare cardholders could be seen lining up in front of KTB ATMs to check the balance of their accounts and withdraw the money.

The police were called to intervene at an ATM in Uthai Thani, where some people reportedly carried dozens of welfare cards to withdraw cash for those who could not personally make the trip, upsetting those who were waiting in line.

Recipients of the stipend said that the 500-baht bonus was meaningful to low-income earners, as it would help cover household expenses especially at this time of year.

Kamareeya Uma, a resident in Narathiwat's Sungai Padi district, said on Monday that it was the perfect gift for the New Year, and she hoped the government would continue the scheme.

However, some cardholders complained that they were not able to withdraw the money.

Chananchita Ketkesorn, a resident in Loei's Muang district, said she spent 30 minutes trying to withdraw the money to no avail.

She said that she would try to spend the 500-baht bonus at a Thong Fah Pracharat shop if she could not withdraw the cash through an ATM.

In Nakhon Ratchasima province's Bua Yai district, vendors and motorcycle taxis benefited from the rush, with some admitting they earned more than 1,000 baht per day over the weekend, as cardholders flocked to KTB ATMs.

Charan Prathin, a pickup truck driver, said he earned extra money over the weekend as local villagers hired him to take them to town to withdraw the cash.